DeLonghi Lattissima Plus Nespresso Capsule System

Nespresso has long been known for their espresso makers, especially in Europe (where you see them everywhere). They've had separate gadgets for making milk-based drinks like cappuccino and lattes, too, and for the last couple of years we've owned one of those coffee-making duos, the Nespresso Citiz and Aeroccino Plus. They were big hits at home, especially when guests visited. So after seeing their new combo unit, the Latissima+, we had to give that a try. This review will primarily look at the device as an upgrade over those two separate components, since the integrated milk steamer is such a big part of this machine, but it should also help people just starting out with Nespresso or anyone upgrading from an espresso-only model.

Pros:

Just One Button for Cappuccino/Latte

This makes a huge difference, which is a bit surprising. After all, we had a perfectly good milk frother in the Aeroccino Plus. The problem was that even though it was fast and cleanup was easy, using a separate gadget to heat and froth the milk added enough steps to the process that we just didn't do it very often, despite our best intentions. Now with the Lattissima+ it's just a single button, and we use it almost every time.

Real Steamed Milk

Say what you want about the clever heated+frothed milk in the older Aeroccino models; it still wasn't quite the same as freshly steamed milk froth. That's what you get in the Lattissima+ -pure steamed milk. Huzzah. You have full control over the level of foaminess with a simple knob on top.

QUIET!

Steaming milk at home is usually loud enough to wake the dead; it's just not something you do if you expect anyone to remain asleep anywhere in the house. The Lattissima+ changes that -it's genuinely quiet when steaming. It's not silent, mind-you, but you probably won't wake someone in another room with it. The only time you hear a loud-ish steam noise is when cleaning it, which you can safely put off until a little more noise is acceptable.

Easy Preparation & Cleanup

Nespresso really nailed the ease-of-use with the detachable milk unit: add milk, make your beverage, and toss it in the fridge until next time. A single press of the "clean" button blows steam through the milk nozzle for a few seconds to clean it out before you put it away. Brilliant. The container is dishwasher-safe, too.

Tidy Design

Not quite as tall as the older Citiz, this stylish compact cube is about as small as one could expect a combination unit to be. The footprint is smaller than the combo Citiz + Aeroccino models, and the cord stores neatly under the base. The used-capsule container seems to be a bit larger than the one in the Citiz, and it is less fussy to empty since the retractable coffee cup pedestal is separate. It's Italian-made, and it runs more quietly than our Swiss-made Citiz, with less of a buzzing noise coming from the 19-bar pump. It's an elegant design overall.

Capsules

I won't go into too much detail here since there are lots of other places to read about the Nespresso capsules, but in brief: surprisingly good espresso, real crema every time, good selection, and fast & easy online or phone ordering & delivery. If I call before 4pm, my order shows up the next day. Great service from the Nespresso Club.

Cons:

Water Container Size

The new water container is ever so slightly smaller than the one in the Citiz (0.9 vs 1.0 Liters), but you'll be using it both for espresso/coffee and for milk steaming, so it runs empty pretty quickly. Mitigating this is the handy combination lid+handle, making it easy to grab the unit and refill. The container is wide and narrow, and it doesn't rise above the back of the unit the way the previous models do, so if you are accustomed to pouring in the water without removing the container, that will be more of a challenge. Removal and replacement are easier than before, though, so it's not much of an issue overall.

Overall: It's fabulous.

I'll update this review as we get more experience with our Lattissima+.

Being lazy and on a budget we've been using Keurig for a few years for morning coffee, and a simple Makineta on the weekends for a real espresso taste. The Keurig is not really coffee, but it is fast and easy. The Makineta produces exceptional espresso, but it is hard to setup and clean, only creates two shots at one cycle and you have to froth the milk separately. Bottom line not a practical solution on weekday mornings when you need to get the kids to school, feed and walk the dog before heading out to work. When we came back from a trip to Europe this summer we couldn't even look at the Keurig machine anymore, and we shifted our search for a fully automatic espresso machine to high gear. I've been following the Nespresso machine for a while now, but never got one because I wanted a machine that does it all. The only other machine I was considering was the Jura, but I could never get myself to pay over $1,200 for an espresso machine. The day I saw a video online featuring the Nespresso Latissima I knew that my prayers were finally been answered. The first chance I got I went to the Sur-La-Table store in DC to see it in action and to get a taste. 10 minutes later I was carrying a nice red one back to the car with a big smile on my face. I took a leap of faith because I usually wait to see more than 2 reviews for a product before purchasing it, but everything about this machine seemed right.

Two weeks later we couldn't be more pleased with the results we LOVE it!!! The box comes with a variety of samples that were gone really fast, and we are into our second order from the online store we can't stop using it... I don't like buying capsules I prefer to buy and grind my own coffee and I know I'm paying more for the capsule system, but I can live with it because of the speed, the ease of use, the cleaning and the taste of course. From the moment I turn the machine on to the time I hold a cup of an amazing latte in my hands it takes about five minutes, and the next cup will take about two minutes. When you are done you use the rinse button, and simply take the milk container and place it back in the fridge. What really surprised me was the quality and the consistency of the frothed milk it is very thick and creamy, almost like whipped cream. The milk volume can be adjusted on the go with a dial, and if you are really picky, then you can use the programming buttons to tweak the modes (we didn't see a need to change anything). One more word about the capsules You can only buy them online from Nespresso, or at specific Bloomingdale's locations. I don't like this because it requires planing ahead, but on the other hand they deliver in two business days, and I guess this is their way to keep the capsuls fresh and under tight control.

Bottom line I still think that the Jura is a better machine in terms of freshness(instant grind), but the Nespresso Latissima is going to give it a good run for the money coming in at about 1/4 of the price with almost as good results. Who would think that I could just walk out of my house every morning with a fresh Cappuccino or Latte that is better than Sta***ks and took under 5 minutes to prepare with no cleaning afterwards? I'm happy!

Buy DeLonghi Lattissima Plus Nespresso Capsule System Now

I've been using the old Nespresso C101 with the Aeroccino Milk Frother. It is a great machine, and there is no question that the Nespresso capsules are the closest thing to great coffee you can get from an pod-type machine. However, my main issues were that it took so long to clean the milk frother. If you didn't clean it thoroughly, the milk would bake on the bottom and lead to pretty bad cappuccinos the next time around.

When I first saw the Latissima+, I was pretty excited since the milk container is built in and had an auto clean button. After using it for a couple of days, I can definitely say this is an upgrade. Its quick to start up, can auto shut down, and most of all its a breeze to clean up. While not zero work you do have to press a "clean" button for about 10 seconds every time you finish your morning batches of coffee if you use the milk this is a lot easier than the old Aeroccino. And due to this, I find myself making coffee a lot more often.

A couple other things I wish I knew. The entire milk frother attachment is dishwasher safe (although you have to take it apart). The manual suggests cleaning it this way at least once a month. Like the older machines, you can also program how much coffee and also how much milk is added for each of the four buttons.

To me, this machine is a good upgrade from the earlier machines, and if you are in the market for a first Nespresso machine this is the one to beat.

Read Best Reviews of DeLonghi Lattissima Plus Nespresso Capsule System Here

Unless you have been a loyal early generation Nespresso user, as I have, you cannot fully appreciate the significance of the statement that "I burned my tongue." I have never been so happy to burn my tongue before. I have owned a Nespresso Le Cube (no longer made) for several years now, and in fact, wrote a detailed and long review here. My only complaint was that the Nespresso didn't truly make a hot cup of coffee. On balance, this did not dissuade me from loving the Nespresso coffee maker because for the speed, cost, efficiency and ease of use (no clean up), and after tons of research, I felt that the Nespresso espresso and cappuccino was the best out there. Mine came with the Aerocino, which was fine to use, but a bit of a pain in the you know what. It was another device to lug out of the cabinet, another item to clean, and I never wanted to leave it out on my bare counter tops because it wasn't terribly stylish and thus I did not use it as much.

Fast forward several years later and I bought the Lattimsa Plus. I was amazed at first at how compact this machine is. It is smaller than the Le Cube side to side, and the only noticeable "problem" was that the water reservoir looked smaller than my old one. It took a few steps to get set up correctly, run the dishwasher for the milk attachment, get the coffee levels right, and voila, a near flawless and perfect latte and cup of coffee.

One button milk steaming, and it's perfect. There's no question, as other reviews have pointed out, that the quality of truly steamed milk is better than heated up milk such as you get with the Aerocino. It's just hotter and better. The one button clean up is a breeze and it all works perfectly.

Again, for people who have older Nespresso machines, or who are on the fence, the fact that this thing brews a truly hot cup of coffee is worth the price of admission! Right there. Boom. Buy this thing if you want one button espresso without any clean up or if you mix coffee drinks for yourself or your friends. It is so much better to have one button access to the milk steamer, this, too, is reason enough to buy this over other models.

Comparisons: I tried many K-Cup models before buying the last Nespresso, and they make a weak and not terribly hot cup of coffee. Even if you buy the double strength K-Cups, you will be disappointed with the coffee if you count yourself among those who enjoy a bold cup of coffee. If you want strong coffee in a one button machine, you should not look any further than the Nespresso line, plain and simple.

Coffee Ordering and Selection: For those of you who are worried about the "selection" of the coffee pods, I think that is overrated. For one thing, the coffee is ordered on line and comes to your house like clockwork within two days. I buy it in large amounts and don't have to re-order for months on end. The coffee choices are more than adequate for those who like to experiment, but honestly, you end up picking one or two colors/strengths of coffee and you stick with what you like. Think about it. If you order beans at your local Starbucks or whatever, I bet you only buy one or two varieties of beans. After all these years, I've settled on Restretto, (the Black), the boldest and most universal of the coffees for straight Americano (just brew a Longo and either run one more cycle without a pod for hot water or drink it straight). The ordering and delivery of the coffee is not a problem.

Descaling and cleaning: This machine also one ups my older machine. If I remembered to descale the Le Cube it was only a matter of luck. Descaling the machine is critical to optimal performance, and I only remembered to do it a few times (you buy the cleaner/descaler online as well). Well Lattisma Plus takes care of that for you too! It gives you a warning to clean it by changing one of the buttons and all you have to do is plug the decaler nozzle in, pour the junk into the water reservoir and run the machine a few times and rinse. As for cleaning the machine otherwise, it's a snap because the milk thing has a Clean button that blows steam through it for 10 seconds. Genius. And wait, there's more. The entire milk thing dis-assembles into four or five pieces and every one of them (including the frother knob) goes into the top drawer of the dishwasher. What could be easier. No mess, no fuss. Clean and ready to go. As for the milk frother, you keep the milk in it for a few days and keep that in the fridge. Pop it back in when you're ready to make coffee and you are good to go.

Reliability: I have read about some issues popping the coffee capsule, but never experienced myself. I never had a problem with my Le Cube (not a one) and so far, this one is solid. I know from stories I have read that when or if Nespresso has a problem, they send you a loaner, so even with that they take good care of you.

Pluses/Minuses:

Pluses: compact, good strong coffee, one button truly steamed milk, ease of use, ease of clean up, ease of ordering and delivery, quality, descaling warning.

Minuses: Really none, except maybe if you count that the water reservoir is a little small. If these guys could figure out how to connect one of their home machines to the water line, I'd be in heaven. This machine really has no minues to speak of.

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I was born and raised in the Netherlands. As many a former colonial power, coffee is the mother milk of this nation, drunk with either condensed or steamed milk. For years I could content myself in the United states with the Phillips Senseo/Douwe Egberts Senseo pads. While this machine is still the most popular coffee maker in the Netherlands, here in the US it fell victim to the ease of use of the pod systems. Sara Lee recently decided to discontinue the Senseo pad line, and so I was faced with either to switch to US tastes, or upgrade to Nespresso. I should have done this a long time ago.... Nespresso is a cult in Europe. Swanky outlets, premium coffee, beautiful presentation, and an attack on your wallet. However, for pod systems, the taste of several of their carefully selected blends is unparalleled: a feast for your mouth. Paper cup volume drinkers need not apply. This one is for the coffee sippers and cappuccino lovers.

The Lattissima Plus is a great machine. Sophisticated, well thought out, adjustable to personal preferences, easy to use. Contrary to the Amazon description, this is not a stainless steel model. Rather it has silver and black plastic panels. These lack the luster and quality one would expect for a $400 machine. This minor gripe is however greatly offset by its performance. This machine does not boil your water in a holding tank like other makers. Instead it uses preheated blocks and a 19 bar pump to produce hot, perfectly extracted, crema-rich espresso. Its adjustable automatic milk-frothing dispensing system is a marvel of simplicity and does a good imitation of a skilled barrista. For those who want a great espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, and the occasional cafe lungo, this is the way to go. Quick, automatic, always right: premium coffee at a premium price. However, with the French Ethical Coffee Company starting to sell its capsules next month on Amazon, who knows.

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